Behavioral and trophic segregations help the Tahiti petrel to cope with the abundance of wedge-tailed shearwater when foraging in oligotrophic tropical waters

Type Article
Date 2020-09
Language English
Author(s) Ravache Andreas1, 2, Bourgeois Karen2, Weimerskirch Henri3, Pagenaud Angélique1, 2, de Grissac Sophie3, Miller Mark4, Dromzée Sylvain, Lorrain Anne5, Allain Valerie6, Bustamante Paco7, 8, Bylemans Jonas9, 10, Gleeson Dianne9, Letourneur Yves11, Vidal Eric1
Affiliation(s) 1 : UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, Université de La Nouvelle-Calédonie, Ifremer), Centre IRD Nouméa, BP A5, 98848, Nouméa, New Caledonia
2 : IMBE, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université, Centre IRD Nouméa, BP A5, 98848, Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia
3 : Centres d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé – CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois, France
4 : School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
5 : IRD, Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, LEMAR, 29280, Plouzané, France
6 : The Pacific Community (SPC), BP D5, 98848, Nouméa, New Caledonia
7 : Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266, CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
8 : Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes, 75005, Paris, France
9 : Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia
10 : Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
11 : UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS, Université de La Nouvelle-Calédonie, Ifremer), Université de La Nouvelle-Calédonie, BP R4, 98851, Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia
Source Scientific Reports (2045-2322) (Springer Science and Business Media LLC), 2020-09 , Vol. 10 , N. 1 , P. 15129 (18p.)
DOI 10.1038/s41598-020-72206-0
WOS© Times Cited 9
Abstract

Two species breeding in sympatry are more likely to coexist if their ecological niches are segregated either in time, space or in trophic habits. Here, we combined GPS-tracking, stable isotope analysis and DNA metabarcoding analysis to understand how the rare Tahiti petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata (TP) copes with the very abundant (i.e. 500,000 breeding pairs) wedge-tailed shearwater Ardenna pacifica (WTS) when breeding in sympatry in a tropical area. WTS foraged in restricted areas along their path, while TP predominantly foraged using extensive search behavior, suggesting a more opportunistic foraging strategy. Interspecific overlap of foraging areas was higher than intraspecific overlap. Breeding seasons largely overlap between species during the study, but TP seems to be asynchronous breeders. TP fed upon prey with higher δ15N values than WTS, and their diet was mainly composed of deep-sea organisms. TP could feed upon dead prey floating at the surface while WTS preyed mainly upon fish species that generally move in schools. Our study highlights several segregating mechanisms (temporal, behavioral and trophic) that could facilitate the coexistence of the two species despite the predominant number of WTS, and provides the very first information on the foraging and trophic ecology of the poorly-known TP.

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Ravache Andreas, Bourgeois Karen, Weimerskirch Henri, Pagenaud Angélique, de Grissac Sophie, Miller Mark, Dromzée Sylvain, Lorrain Anne, Allain Valerie, Bustamante Paco, Bylemans Jonas, Gleeson Dianne, Letourneur Yves, Vidal Eric (2020). Behavioral and trophic segregations help the Tahiti petrel to cope with the abundance of wedge-tailed shearwater when foraging in oligotrophic tropical waters. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 15129 (18p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72206-0 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00651/76287/